A prominent journalist in Kuwait was imprisoned for her calls to normalize the country’s ties with Israel, underscoring a critical point in the Arab world’s contentious but changing relationship with Israel and the broader geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East.
Fajr Al-Saeed was imprisoned for advocating to normalize Kuwait’s relationship with Israel, which violates a 1964 law that prohibits any engagement with the Jewish state. Her imprisonment also sparked a significant and heated debate in light of the changing political tides within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the wider Arab world.
Her calls are not only limited to normalizing diplomatic ties with Israel. She also called for fostering cooperation to help modernize Kuwait’s economy and enhance its technological capabilities.
The journalist’s views on Israel remain highly unpopular in Kuwait and throughout the Arab world. However, her stance aligns with the broader trend of normalizing ties with Israel seen in other GCC-member countries, notably the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, which both signed normalization agreements with Israel under the Abraham Accords during the first term of the Trump administration.
These countries recognized Israel’s technological and economic expertise can be an asset and provide opportunities for trade, innovation, and regional stability.
this should have been settled in 1990.
— GuyInSF (@GuyInSF2) January 10, 2025
Al-Saeed’s case also reveals the internal political struggles and the significant role groups like the Muslim Brotherhood play in influencing Kuwait’s and, by extension, the Middle East’s stance towards Israel.
Represented in the country by the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM), a minority political party that repeatedly won seats in the Kuwaiti parliament, the Brotherhood has long been a significant force in shaping the political debate in Kuwait.
Through ICM and its charitable arm, the Social Reform Society (SRS), the Brotherhood seeks to implement Sharia as Kuwait's primary legislation source. It has consistently opposed any normalization of ties with Israel, often using ideological and religious arguments to rally public support.
This is a nasty country that flies under the radar.
— Franky (@FrankyRN51) January 10, 2025
The Brotherhood’s roots in Kuwait date back to the 1930s and 1940s, when members went to the country to seek refuge from the secular regimes in Egypt and Syria. Over the years, the group continued to solidify its support base through its political activities and SRS, which some governments have accused of providing funds to terrorist groups.
Its strong opposition to the normalization of ties to Israel also reflects its longstanding opposition to secularism and its commitment to defending what it sees as the Islamic world’s sacred duty to oppose the Jewish state. It is also rooted in its insistence on ideological and religious purity and emphasis on a conservative Muslim vision for the Arab world.
Although Kuwait has historically tolerated the Muslim Brotherhood and its activities, growing tensions between the Kuwaiti government and the ICM suggests that the internal political climate in Kuwait may be shifting.
The arrest of Fajr Al-Saeed and the broader debate of normalizing ties with Israel highlight the challenges of taking a more pragmatic approach towards Israel versus continuing to adopt a more ideological and religious stance towards the Jewish state.
